Voltage regulator



Jan. 8, 1946. D. E. TRucKsEss VOLTAGE REGULATOR Filed Sept. 17, 1943 INVEN To 0. E THUG/(SE55 A TTORNEV Patented Jan. 8, 1946 'UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE VOLTAGE REGULATOR David E. Trucksess, Summit, N. 1., assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 17, 1943, Serial No. 502,736

2 Claims purpose of illustration,'there are provided for,

maintaining substantially constant the alternating voltage across a load to which current is supplied from an alternating current supply source a transformer the primary winding of which is connected in series with the load and through -\the' secondary winding of'which current is caused to flow due to the voltage induced therein, and electronic means for controlling the current flow through the secondary winding to control the impedance of the primary winding. Two circuits, each comprising an electronic device, are preferably connected acros difierent portions, respectively, of the secondary winding so that there is produced in the core of the transformer due to the current in the secondary winding an alternating magnetomotive force which opposes the alternating flux set up in the core due to the alternating current flowing through the primary winding. The currents in the two secondary circuits respectively, are controlled by the electronic devices provided'in the circuits in response to load voltage changes to minimize or substantially eliminate such changes in load voltage. A rectifying means connected to the load circuit is provided for producing a direct voltage which varies in accordance with changes of the alternating load voltage. The direct voltage thus produced afteramplification is utilized for biasing the control electrodes of th electronic devices with respect to their cathodes to control the currents which flow alternately in different portions of the secondary transformer winding. When there are employed vacuum tubes, the anode-cathode paths of which are in the circuits connected to different portions, respectively, of the secondary transformer winding to cause current to flow in opposite directions alternately in the secondary winding, each tube is conducting during alternate half cycles of the supply voltage and the amplitude of the current in each circuit is controlled in accordance with the biasing voltage impressed upon the control electrode-cathode circuits of the tubes. When the maximum current to be supplied to the load is relatively large, however, it is preferable to employ grid controlled, gas-filled electronic device of the arc discharge type commonly known as Thyratrons. When employing tubes of this type the average current flowing in each circuit during each cycle of an alternating current source is determined by the biasing voltage impressed upon the control electrode-cathode circuits of the tubes, the average amplitude of each current being a maximum when each tube is conducting for one-half of each cycle of the alternating wave and the average current being a minimum when each tube is conducting during one-fourth of each cycle of the alternating wave. The alternating rnagnetomotive force produced in the transformer core due to the currents flowing in the circuits, respectively, connected to the secondary winding controls the reluctance of the core and therefore the impedance ofthe primary winding to maintain the alternating load voltage substantially constant.

The single figure of the drawing to which reference will now be made is a schematic view of a suitable circuit arrangement for supplying alternating current to a load at substantially constant voltage in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawing, there is provided for supplying alternating current from a supply source to to a load H a circuit comprising a winding l2 on a core 2i used as an auto transformer having its primary connected to'the source l0 and its secondary connected to a circuit comprising the primary winding l3 of a transformer having a core 22 and load II in series, a variable connection 20 to, winding 12 being provided to permit the voltage impressed upon the load circuit to be varied. The secondary winding on transformer core 22 has two portions 14 and I5, one portion being between one end terminal and a common mid-terminal and the other portion being between the other end terminal and the mid-terminal. electronic devices l6 and I1 each having an anode, a cathode and a control electrode. Heating current is supplied to the cathodes of tubes I6 and I1 in parallel from a secondary winding 23 on transformer core 2|. The mid-terminal of secondary winding l4, I5 is connected through choke coil 24 and resistor '25 to the mid-tap of a resistor 26, the end terminals of which are connected across each cathode. The choke coil There are provided two gas-filled 26 is preferably a co-called swin choke" oi the tv disclosed in an application of A. majlinger fnd B. E. Stevens, Serial No. 466,856, filed November 25, 1942. The anodes of tubes is and ii are connected to the end terminals of secondary winding 56, 85, respectively.

There is provided a rectifying circuit ior producing across a current path comprising resistors 36, ti and 83 and potentiometer 32, all connected in series, a. direct voltage which varies in accordanc with amplitude change oi the alternating load voltage. The rectifying circuit comprises a transiormer 85 having its primary winding connected to the load terminals and its secondary winding connected to the anodes of a full wave rectifier tube 36. The output of the rectiher is connected to the current path 38, st, 82,

83 through a filter comprising'inductance element 8t and a condenser 31, the cathode of rectifier tube being connected to .a terminal of resistor it which is grounded. A mid-tap of the secondary winding of transformer 35 is connected through inductance element 36 to a terminal of resistorsd and condenser t? is connected across the current path 3d, 36, 322, 33. Heating current is supplied to the cathode of rectifier tube 85 from a secondary transformer winding 38 on core 2i. An amplifier comprising electronic device ill is provided for amplifying the voltage variations across current path dd, 3B, 332, 33." The cathode heater of tube id is connected to a sec- I ondary winding ll on transformer core 28. The anode oi tube iii is connected through a resistor $2 to the grounded terminal of resistor 3d. The

screen grid of tube Edd is connected to thecom= f assasse to the alternating current do in winding I8, thereby increasing the reluctance of the core and decreasing the inductance of winding l8. As the average amplitudes of the currents flowing through winding portion it and winding portion it, respectively, increase, the impedance of primary' winding i decreases, and vice versa.

- The cathode of amplifier tube db is maintained 'at'a fixed positive potential with respect to the more positive or less negative with respect to itscathode to increase th anode current flowing through resistor 62. As a result, the control electrodes of tubes it and it become relatively more negative or less positive with respect to their cathodes to cause the tubes to become conducting later in the half cycles during which the anodes of the tubes, respectively, are positive. The aver= age amplitudes of the currents which flow through windin portions is and i5 alternately are therefore decreased tocause the reluctance of core 22 to decrease and the impedance of primary winding 58 to increase. The voltage drop across winding iii is, therefore, increased to caus the load voltage to be reduced to its normal value.

When the load voltage decreases, the control grid oi tube (it becomes relatively more negative or mon terminal of resistors 8d and ti. The control electrode of tube d0 isconnectecl to th variable tap of potentiometer 32. A current path com-.-

prislng a resistor t3 and a cold cathodetube id in series is connected across the path 8d, 3!, 32, 88, the voltage drop across tube 6% remaining substantially, constant irrespective of the current flowing thrcu'gh it within its operating range.

The cathode and the suppressor grid of tube db are connected to th common terminal of resistor id and cold cathode tube dd. The grounded terminal of resistor 52 is connected to the common terminal of choke coil 26- and resistor 25. The common terminal of the anode of tube to and resistor 62 is connected through a resistor (it to the control electrode of tube it and through a resistor 66 to the control electrodeoi tube ii. Th operation of the regulating circuit for I maintaining the load voltage substantially con== stant' is as follows. Alternating current flowin through the primary transformer winding it sets up an alternating fiuxin core. 22 to producean less positive with respect to its cathode and the control grids of tubes id and it become relatively mor positive or less negative with respect to their cathodes to cause the average amplitudes of the currents flowing in the secondary transformer winding id, id toincrease, therebydecreasing the impedance of primary winding l3 and causing the load voltage to be increased to its normal value.

The voltage drop produced across resistor it, due to the anode currents of tubes it and il flowing therein, assists in the regulation of load volt I ago. When there is an increase in line voltage,

alternating voltage across the secondary winding it, it. When the current flowing in winding is is in such a direction that the potentialoi the anode of -tube I6 is positive with respect to its 24 and winding portion i5 toithe anodeof tube it. Thus, the current flowing n secondary winding id, is in opposite directions alternately pro-' duces in the core 22 a magnetomotive force which opposes the alternating flux in the core 22 due for example, the voltage induced in the secondary winding it, 85 is increased due to the increased load current flowing in winding i3 and the resulting increased anode currentsof. tubes i6 and ill flowing through resistor 25 produce an increased voltage drop across resistor 25. This voltage. drop is impressed upon the control electrode-cathode circuits of tubes it and ii to make the control electrodes relatively more negative with respect to the cathodes to oppose the rise in anode-cathode currents. The tendency for the impedance of winding 83 to decrease due to the increased current flowing therein is thus minimized. The main regulating action, however, is due to the grid biasing voltage for tubes it and il produced across resistor it, this biasing voltage having variations corresponding to load voltage changes. 3

Where the supply circuit is to be used to supply current to a load which is varied over a relatively wide range and where the permissible variation in load voltage is relatively small, it has been found desirable to increase the number of effective turn in the auto transformer winding lies the load is increased to increase the voltage applied to the load. In some cases it may be preferable to employ electronic devices 98 and I7 which are vacuum tubes, the anode-cathode impedances of which are varied in accordance with the control electrode-cathode biasing potential for controlling the current flowing in the secondary winding 44, l 5. In this case the choke coil- 24 may be omitted, the connection to the mid-point of winding l4, l being connected directly to the terminal of resistor 25.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a circuit for supplying current from an alternating current source to a load. of a transformer having a primary winding connected in said circuit in series with said load.

said transformer having a secondary winding in in said secondary winding. rectifying means having an input circuit connected across said load and an output circuit across which is set up a direct ,voltage which varies in accordance with changes of the alternating load voltage. and means responsive to variations of said direct voltage for causing the impedance of said variable impedance means to increase and thereby cause said transformer having a secondary winding in of said device through which current is causedto flow due to the voltage induced in said secondary winding, rectifying means having an input circuit and an output circuit, means for impressing the alternating load voltage upon said input circuit to cause to be set up across said output circuit a direct voltage which varies in accord ance with changes of the alternating load voltage, a bridge circuit having ohmic resistors in three of its arms and in its fourth arm a voltage stabilizing resistance means the resistance of which changes in response to' current changes therethrough at such a rate that the voltage drop across said resistance means remains substantially constant, means for connecting the input terminals of said bridge to the output circuit of said rectifying means, an amplifier having its input circuit connected to the output bridge terminals for setting up in the amplifier output circuit a direct voltage having variations corresponding to the variations of the'rectifler output voltage, and means for impressing said amplifier output voltage upon a circuit connecting the control electrode and cathode of said space discharge device to change the anode-cathode current of said device in a direction to cause the impedance of said primary winding to increase when the voltage across said load begin to increase.

DAVID E, TRUCKSESS. 

